The pandemic has left many looking for human contact. But what about connecting with a bovine buddy?
People are now signing up to cuddle a cow.
Sanctuaries across the country are charging people to connect with cows.
It’s filling a void left empty by the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
“It was really my first real hug of the year,” Renee Behinfar, told The Washington Post.
Not only did Behinfar hug Sammy the cow, but the cow also laid her head in the woman’s lap, causing her to cry, releasing the loneliness that had been pent up for a year.
“In the end, I didn’t want to let her go,” Behinfar told the newspaper.
Cow cuddling helps increase positivity and reduce stress, according to the BBC. It has been a trend in the Netherlands called “koe knuffelen.”
Cow cuddling sessions cost $75 an hour at Aimee’s Farm Animal Sanctuary in Arizona and are booked fully until July. The sanctuary is home to about 100 rescued farm animals.
Not only can cow hugging be booked. There’s also piggy belly rubs, animal feeding and animal kisses.
Aimee’s Sanctuary isn’t the only place offering an up close experience with farm animals.
Suzanne Vullers owns Mountain Horse Farm in New York. Guests at the bed-and-breakfast can book hour-long sessions of cow cuddling from May through October. The sessions are starting to fill up.
The trend was starting to become so popular before the pandemic started that Fodors compiled a list of farms where you can “snuggle baby animals.”
Airbnb also offers experiences called animal tourism.
Cox Media Group
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